For Whom The Bell Tolls
by Jewels12
Summary: A broken heart...and a broken bell. Following the events of 7.01.


_Thanks to my duo of spectacular betas; **scout** and **pink hammer**. It was my first time soliciting, certainly not the last._

Summary: A broken heart…and a broken bell.

It was almost closing time on a Tuesday evening, and Luke was particularly perturbed. The diner was still full, Taylor was on his case about some ludicrous infringement and Kirk had complained one too many times about his bill. With the flick of his wrist, Luke turned the "Open" sign to "Closed" and gruffly asked his customers to leave. "Everybody out. We're closed." The bell above the door jingled incessantly as the nervous patrons exited the diner in haste. Jingle. Jingle. Jingle.

It was a sound that carried such significance in the past. It once filled him with hope. It made him feel strong, confident and proud. Each night during his closing ritual, he would look for her. He expected her. He looked forward to the sound.

Now, every jingle sent a chill through his body.

Three months had past since she'd indelicately exposed the truth. Her words stung. His reaction had progressed in spurts of emotion. Anger one day, regret the next. He wasn't your typical 'five stages of grief' kind of guy. So many things had changed. Luke never adapted well to change.

The bell was a constant reminder of what he had lost. His head pounded, his ears rang. Determined to put an end to his suffering, he reached up and yanked frantically at the strand of bells. They crashed in a heap onto the floor of the diner, silent. Broken.

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Lorelai ached inside. She hated hurting Luke. She hated feeling hurt. She craved the diner. It wasn't about the coffee, it was about the man that she had invested in; the man that was a witness to her life. Many nights she'd sit in the gazebo and watch as the lights dimmed in the diner, wondering about the man that got away.

It was a Tuesday evening and Lorelai was particularly hungry. At the Inn, Sookie was bogged down with preparations for an upcoming wedding. There simply wasn't time for therapy sessions or special meals. So, she returned once more to the gazebo.

From there she observed the flurry of townsfolk noisily departing the diner. They rapidly exchanged idle gossip. _"Boy, he's sure in a bad way." "Tell me about it, yesterday he gave me eggs in a to-go cup." "I'm afraid he'll never get over her."_

Lorelai was overcome with emotion. She felt broken.

She watched as Luke closed the blinds. The lights were still on, revealing his shadowed movements. Then he disappeared. She wanted desperately to march right through the door to the tone of her favorite sound. The bell was a thing of nostalgia, it was familiar and it was beautiful.

As Luke arduously scrubbed at a stubborn stain on the counter, he felt a cool breeze wash over him. He looked up and saw her standing there, in his diner. Lorelai noticed the moment she walked in that something was missing.

"We're closed," he spoke sharply.

His tone didn't faze her. "What happened to the bell?" She was more concerned than curious.

"We're closed." He was in no mood to discuss anything with anyone.

"What happened to the bell?" she tried once more.

He dropped his rag and sighed, "I couldn't stand the sound of it anymore."

"So you broke it?" She couldn't believe it.

"What does it matter?"

She walked closer to the counter, to him. "It does matter, Luke. It does matter. How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle. Just ask Poe."

Luke shook his head in question, "What?"

"You had no right. That bell wasn't just your bell. It belonged to all of us. It was a part of this town."

It surprised him that the bell was significant to her. "Things change. People change."

"You don't, Luke. You never change. That's what I lo…" she stopped herself.

Luke cleared his throat, "It's just a bell."

"No, it isn't." And with that, she departed, silently.

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Luke tossed and turned all night. It was a cold, unforgiving night. Part of him was pleased that she opened up to him, that she had been the one to make the first move towards civility, reconciliation. Another part of him was pissed as hell that he cared. She cut his heart out. But he saw something in her tonight that he hadn't seen in a long time; vulnerability.

The diner was bustling by 8am. Despite the lack of sleep, he felt ok today. Rather, he felt as close to being ok as a broken man could.

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Lorelai slept easy. She didn't regret going to the diner last night. In fact, she felt utterly relieved. Luke broke the bell, but she broke the ice.

The Inn was bursting at the seams with activity. Vacancy was a thing of the past. Sookie marveled at Lorelai's improved demeanor.

"You look happy," she told her friend.

"I saw Luke last night," Lorelai admitted.

Sookie's face lit up. "You saw Luke? At the diner?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Oh my god! What did he say? What did you say?"

"He broke the bell." That was all that seemed to matter.

"What?" Sookie was puzzled.

"The bell, Sookie. Above the door. I mean, how could he just do that."

"He was upset. He misses you." The whole town was aware of that reality.

Lorelai swallowed hard at the thought. "I wanted pancakes for breakfast this morning. But I don't think we're ready for pancakes. Maybe lunch."

Somehow Sookie followed Lorelai's train of thought. "Yes, lunch is a great idea. Lunch at Luke's," Sookie giggled. "I love how that sounds."

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As the dinner rush was thinning out, so too was Luke's patience. She wasn't coming. He shrugged his shoulders and served the last of his customers. It was time to close up shop. Once finished with the countertop, he made his way to the kitchen and threw the rag in the sink.

He heard a sound. He knew that sound.

Luke emerged from the kitchen and stood silently for a moment behind the counter, his haven. He walked carefully through the darkness and flicked the lights.

There were tears in her eyes.

She was so near to him. He felt her breath on his cheek.

"You did this for me." She smiled, pointing to the mended bell.

Luke shrugged, "It was broken, I fixed it."

"You fixed it," she repeated.

"That's what you do to things that are broken."

Lorelai agreed, "You fix them."

He nodded.

"It's more than just a bell, Luke."

He paused thoughtfully, "I know." An outpouring of honesty from a man who had forgotten the very definition of the word.

Lorelai moved slowly into his body, resting her head on his hardened shoulder. They hugged for an eternity, making up for lost time.

Luke leaned back from the hug. His expression betrayed his insecurity. "Do you really think we can make this work?" He wanted it to work. He needed it to work.

"We were broken, Luke, and just like the bell, we can be fixed, we can be whole again." Lorelai was confident.

Luke's body finally relaxed. He leaned in and hugged her again. She held him strong, tenderly. She wanted Luke to know how much she needed him too.

He whispered into her ear, "Thank-you."

This time she leaned back. "What for?"

"For coming back. I missed your sound."

_Her_ sound. She smiled. It was a sound that gave her hope, and filled her with strength, confidence and pride. She will always remember the day when that sound was restored.

"I never stopped loving you." She was sincere.

They turned off the lights together and walked hand-in-hand upstairs.

The bell was home, and now, so was she.

- The End -


End file.
